


Hat of Iron

by shortpromptlongkiss



Series: MCU [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: (sexually), Cross-Dimension Soulmates, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Eventual Smut, Ignores OUAT past season 1, James "Bucky" Barnes is Mad Hatter | Jefferson, Multi, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter has a non-canon little sister, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Slow Burn, Top Mad Hatter | Jefferson, Wonderland, except I'm gonna hurt him a little, hehe, or Jefferson is, we love bucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-07-28 07:22:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20060203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shortpromptlongkiss/pseuds/shortpromptlongkiss
Summary: Peter Parker was told there was a multiverse.That turned out to be a load of horse dung.Mysterio betrayed him, exposed him, left him defenseless against the wrath of the world. With Tony Stark dead and MJ ignoring him, Peter is facing a whole new set of challenges. He just wants to survive to see the end of his senior year.When Halloween comes, Peter's only wish is to make himself disappear, so he chooses the perfect costume.A magician.Maybe it's time to dust off Uncle Ben's old top hat.Jefferson knew that there was no magic in this new world.That's why his hat didn't work. So, he threw it away. Packed it in a box, picked a random address in a place called New York, and shipped it off.Weeks later, he received a thank-you note from someone called Benjamin, promising to take care of the hat. He dismissed it and went back to his life.Time remained frozen but started for just a second when New York was attacked. Jefferson knew something had happened, he just didn't know what.Just when he thought the curse was broken, time froze again, even though everyone had their memories back.Must be an old hat trick.





	1. Hat Trick

**Author's Note:**

> ha ha ha  
Bow before fanfiction, the destroyer of canon material.  
Basically, this ignores everything in OUAT except season 1. Jefferson hasn't gone back to Grace yet and Rumplestiltskin didn't try and bring magic back.

_ **Nine years earlier** _

"Make it work, make it work, make it work," was all Emma could hear as she crept through the halls of the mansion. Knowing that Jefferson was alive, even after Mary Margaret- or Snow- had kicked him out of the window, made her heart ache. The conversation with the little girl that had come into the sheriff's office had nearly killed her.

_"Excuse me," a voice called just as Emma was closing the drawers for the night. "Can I talk to you?"_

_Emma turned around, ready to send whoever dared to bother her at this stressful time to high hell, but stopped when she saw a young girl. "Hi, kid," she forced herself to say, though every bone in her body screamed at her to close up. "What can I do for you?"_

_The girl stepped further inside. "I'm looking for my papa. He's been missing for a long time and I was hoping that he had been brought here with the curse."_

_Emma walked up to the girl and crouched down, squinting. "Your papa?" That sounded a little familiar to Emma, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "What's your name?"_

_"Grace," the girl said, shakily withdrawing a paper from her coat and handing it to Emma. Emma unfolded it, revealing a child's drawing of a man. "My papa's name is Jefferson," Grace added._

_"Oh," Emma muttered, slowly standing up. "Jefferson." She was about to tell the girl to go away, but the look in Grace's eyes hit a button inside her that reminded her of herself. Lost, alone, without parents._

_Emma forced a smile and said, "I'll look into it, kid. Thanks for stopping by."_

_Grace practically flew over to her, throwing her arms around Emma and squealing "thank you, thank you, thank you!" Emma smiled for real and patted Grace's hair._

_"I'll find him. Don't worry."_

Emma finally found the door to what she remembered to be Jefferson's workshop. "Jefferson?" she asked, slowly edging the door open. "It's Emma, you know, savior, et cetera?"

Jefferson whirled around, a mad look in his eyes. "Someone brought magic. Not in Storybrooke. In the rest of the world. Someone stopped time again. Someone with the powers of a god." He laughed, tilting his head back. "Can't you feel it? I'm close, so close to a solution!"

Emma backed up as Jefferson stood and started towards her. "Jefferson, I'm here because of your daughter. She's looking for you."

"Of course she is!" Jefferson shrieked. "She's trapped! Two lives, in the same head! There's no way to escape it!" He backed Emma up against a wall and cackled in her face. "She doesn't want to see me. She must hate me for leaving her!"

"Jefferson, come to your senses!" Emma snapped back. "What on earth has gotten into you? It's your daughter! She wants to see you again!"

Jefferson grinned madly. "Fine. She'll see me, if you so wish it!" He shoved Emma out of the way and stumbled out of the room and towards the stairs.

"Jefferson!" Emma called after him, sprinting after the madman. "Hold on!"

It took her ten minutes to catch up to him, after he'd finally tired himself out and collapsed in an alleyway. "Jefferson, you have to calm down," Emma started, but stopped when she saw Grace standing at the entrance to the alley. Grace pressed a finger to her lips and darted off.

Emma understood. Grace wanted Jefferson to have a chance to recover from the curse before she met him again. Slowly, Emma guided Jefferson back to his house and called Mary Margaret.

"He's gone absolutely insane. I think we need to take shifts and make sure he stays in his house. He could be dangerous to the people of Storybrooke, and if he crosses the town line, we don't know what will happen," she told her friend- mother.

Mary Margaret sighed. "Alright, then," she said. "I'll be over with some stuff, food and things so we can stay."

"Thanks," Emma replied, turning to Jefferson, who had passed out on his bed. "Bring padlocks too. Just in case."

_ **Present day** _

"I want to disappear," Peter admitted, not willing to look at May. "I want this to be over."

May rubbed her nephew's shoulder affectionately. "I know, Peter. It's going to be okay. The reveal, and then MJ breaking up with you- it's nothing to worry about. We'll find some way to get out of this."

Peter stood up abruptly, tugging his hair, which he had failed to get cut lately, out of his eyes. (He had more pressing things to worry about.) "What if we don't? The whole world is after me and I don't have many options anymore."

"Cheer up, Peter," May said, smiling gently. "Tomorrow is Halloween, and you can dress however you want. Whatever you want to go as, it can be your disguise for the day." She reached into the closet and pulled out his suit. "Even this..."

"The world knows who Spider-Man is, May!" Peter exclaimed, shoving the suit back into the closet. "I can't walk out into broad daylight in my suit!"

May smiled. "Think it over, Pete." She stood and left, shutting the door behind her.

Peter shook his head and flopped over, laying down on his bed. Finally, after months of running and hiding and disguises and danger around every corner, the tears came. His arm fell over the side of the bed and brushed the floor, or what felt like the floor. Peter scrambled to the floor, running his hand over the cardboard box. He must have thrown it under the bed during his fit after Mysterio revealed who Spider-Man was.

The lid of the box came off easily and revealed his uncle's name written on the inside and a velvet hat. Peter lifted it out of the box and examined it. It had a couple scrapes along the edge, but nothing he couldn't fix with a little polish. An idea came to him. The perfect Halloween costume.

He would make himself disappear.

_ _

"I'm sorry, Sheriff," Jefferson said, turning his back on Emma. "I gave my hat away after it didn't work anymore. I thought a fresh hat would do better."

"There is a magic user in this world," Emma snapped. "He could activate your hat if you had it."

Jefferson sighed. "I know you think that you could get back to your realm with it, and you're right."

Emma gritted her teeth. "What's stopping us? We can get your hat back. Let's check the address you sent it to."

Silence fell in the room for a few seconds. Jefferson finally strode to a file cabinet and rifled through it for a few seconds. "If you're right, and my hat can take us back to our land, we must act quickly. Who knows how long the magic user will continue to practice?"

"That's the thing..." Emma said. "There's more than one. I did some digging." She took the card that Jefferson had found and examined the address. "The hat is closest to the one in New York, but it's a risk to even try to leave. Who knows what will happen?"

Jefferson took a deep breath and took the card. "That's why it has to be me. I shipped my hat off, I have to be the one to go and get it."

Emma shook her head. "Do you think you can leave without anything bad happening?"

"Of course he can."

Both turned to the door to see a young man, likely a teenager, leaning against the door. His head was down and his hair was around his face, so neither could see his features.

"Who are you?" Emma asked nervously, stepping forward and reaching for her gun.

"One of your aforementioned magic users," the man said. "No need for your gun, I come in peace."

Jefferson chuckled. "Certainly. And I'm not mad. What do you want?"

The man lifted his head, revealing sharp green eyes and a smirking mouth. "Why, to guarantee you safe passage to New York with a little spell."

"All magic comes with a price," Jefferson said warily. "What's yours?"

"I only ask that you not reveal that I was the one who helped you. Say it was a fluke, that you escaped without your memories being taken." The man's smirk grew wider.

Jefferson raised an eyebrow. "My memories will be... taken?"

Emma squinted. "Leaving Storybrooke means that your memories of past lives are gone?"

The man nodded. "Yes, indeed. Feel free to leave without my help, but risk losing the reason why you even left. I can protect only one with my power, but you will be safe, I guarantee it."

"What's your name?" Jefferson asked.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner," the man replied, stepping forward into the light of the room. "My name is Loki. Son of Odin. And despite what you may have heard, I am very, _very_ much alive."

Peter tugged the bottom hem of his tailcoat down and tightened his tie. "May? I think I'm ready to go!" He adjusted the Phantom of the Opera-esque mask covering his face and tilted Ben's old hat to the right. "Perfect," he told himself, taking the hat off momentarily to fix his hair. Casually, he tossed it to his bed- and the hat started to spin and grow bigger. Peter whirled around, backing up slightly. "Uh, May?"

May threw open the door and gasped. "What is that?"

"That's mine," a voice came from the door. Peter turned around. "Who are you? Bucky?"

"Who the hell is Bucky?" the man at the door asked, tilting his head to the side.

Peter backed up a little and muttered, "But he looks exactly like him."

"Yeah, I'll do you one better!" May exclaimed, kicking at the hat, which stopped spinning abruptly and snapped back to its original size. "How the hell did you get into our locked apartment?"

The man held up a key with a skeleton design. "A gift from the mayor of Storybrooke." He dropped the key on the couch. "I'm sure you're wondering who I am, what I'm doing here, and why I own that hat."

Peter shrugged. "Kinda."

"My name is Jefferson," the man said, bowing. "I'm here to collect the only salvation of the town of Storybrooke, and I am- I used to be- the Mad Hatter."

May burst out laughing. "The Mad Hatter? That's a character in a story! I grew up with Alice in Wonderland. The Mad Hatter was never-" she broke off, looking Jefferson up and down, "-attractive."

Peter wrinkled his nose. _First Happy, now this guy?!_ "Mr. Jefferson, sir," he spoke up. "If you really are the Mad Hatter, why did you send away your hat?"

Jefferson's smile dropped to a frown. "I don't need to explain anything to you. Now give me the hat, and I'll be on my way." He held out his hand for the hat, but Peter shrunk back, picking up the hat and crushing it to his chest.

"I don't have to do anything until you tell me why," Peter whispered. "I need this. My life is in danger because of what someone I trusted did."

"So it's your disguise," Jefferson chuckled. "Alright, kid. But you're coming to Storybrooke with me if you're not letting go of that."

A sharp intake of breath from May startled both. "I'm sorry," May muttered, "but Peter can barely step outside without people almost slitting his throat so he'll be staying right here."

Jefferson rolled his eyes. "Don't you think my companion would have thought of that?" he asked, stepping to the side.

Loki stepped forward, a smirk once again crossing his features. "Hello, there. I don't believe we've been formally introduced. My name is Loki, of Asgard." He offered a hand to Peter.

Peter took the hand and shook it. "Hi. I'm Peter Parker. I like your jacket."

Loki let go of Peter's hand and adjusted the collar of the leather jacket. "Thank you, Peter Parker. Now, I've arranged for safe transportation to Storybrooke. We should be leaving immediately."

May reached for Peter's shoulder but Loki held up a hand. "Your concern is understood but invalid. Storybrooke is one of the safest places for young Peter right now. No one can enter or leave without magic, so he will be protected."

Peter looked back at his aunt. "This is my chance, May," he begged. "Please, let me go. I want to disappear."

"I know the feeling," Loki interrupted. "If you come with us, it'll be okay." His expression softened as he once again offered his hand to Peter.

Shaking, Peter took Loki's hand and smiled. "Okay," he whispered.

Jefferson looked to May and she nodded. "Good luck. Don't forget to write!" She ruffled Peter's hair and backed up slowly. "I love you," she added, giving Peter a quick and encouraging smile.

Peter grinned back, and then they were gone. Somehow.

"You must be the kid," Emma said, pacing in front of Peter. "I've heard about you from Loki. He never mentioned your name." 

"Peter Parker," Peter said. "I'm sure you've heard that I'm also Spider-Man."

"We don't get news from outside," Emma shot back. "The only person who knows what is going on out there seems to be Jefferson."

Peter took a deep breath. "Jefferson... Jefferson looks like a guy I know... I have to wonder if there's a correlation."

Emma cocked her head. "Oh really?" she asked. "Who?"


	2. Lend Me A Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky runs off after a fight with Sam and, through a series of strange events, meets his doppelganger. Meanwhile, Sam discovers a girl who claims to be Peter Parker's little sister as he leaves the strange town that the two are suddenly stuck in.

"Give. Me. My. Arm."

"Hell no!" Sam laughed, standing up on the island that dominated the kitchen he had to share with Bucky. "Finders keepers!"

Bucky gritted his teeth and climbed onto the island as well. "Give it back, Sam." He yanked the metal arm away from Sam, jumped down, and strode to the mirror to reattach it. "You know there's a lot of things I need this for, and I can feel pain when it's taken off."

Sam laughed again, jumping down off the island and seating himself at one of the little bar stools. "Well, excuse me, McFrowny. I was just having a little fun."

"Well, your fun, isn't funny, Sam," Bucky snapped back. "I'm going for a walk." He finished reattaching the arm and reached for his jacket.

"Bye, Incredible Sulk!" Sam called after him as he threw open the door.

Bucky swallowed back an insult, choosing instead to slam the door. Why, of all people Steve could have saddled him with, did he pick Sam? They had been at each other's throats since the beginning, and since moving to Maine to get away from all the violence and terrible memories of New York, they had made the usually peaceful state an insane asylum.

Instead of walking, like he had said he was going to, he swung a leg over his motorcycle and took off, ignoring the fact that he hadn't grabbed a helmet. He just needed to get away from Sam, and he was an experienced enough driver to be able to manage the vehicle.

He drove off, not really sure where he was going, and focused on the wind pushing his hair back instead of his anger at Sam. It was a cold Halloween, and night was falling fast. He found himself wishing that he'd brought more than a jacket. Hopefully no one would recognize him.

About an hour later, Bucky realized that he'd been driving blindly for a while and had no idea where he was. Stopping at the side of the road, he managed to pull up Google Maps on his cell phone, which put him out in the middle of a nearby field. He sighed and glanced around, hoping that it would direct him back to the apartment. It was pitch dark out now, and the only sign he had of someone approaching was the sound and headlight glare of another motorcycle.

"Bucky?" Sam's voice cut through the night. "Are you there? I'm genuinely worried."

Bucky slowly stepped in front of the headlight. "How did you find me?" he asked.

Sam appeared from nowhere, walking up to him. "I put a tracker on your phone weeks ago, after you started storming off. I guess it did us well."

An awkward silence followed. Finally, Sam piped up with, "Where are we, even?"

Bucky glanced around, noting the green sign that his headlight was illuminating. "Welcome to Storybrooke?" he read out loud. "May as well see if we can get a room, it's too dark to go back now."

"Especially considering you forgot this," Sam added, tossing Bucky his helmet.

"What are you, my mother?" Bucky snapped. Nevertheless, he snapped the helmet on and climbed back onto his motorcycle. "Let's just go."

The strange pair rode of in silence, into this town called Storybrooke.

That is, until a deer jumped out of the forest around them without warning.

Sam hit the brakes immediately, but Bucky tried to swerve and instead ran his motorcycle into the ditch, sending him catapulting back onto the road.

"Bucky!" Sam yelled, killing the engine and scrambling over to him. "Oh, please don't be dead, Steve's gonna kill me if you're dead."

"He's not dead."

Sam looked up, squinting. "Who are you?"

The figure the voice had come from crouched down, his face suddenly lit up by Sam's headlight. "Just someone who's concerned for your friend's safety."

Sam gasped. "You're- Thor said you were dead."

Loki chuckled. "Don't bother with me, Wilson. We have more pressing matters. Earlier today, your old friend Tony's protege Peter Parker showed up, carrying a hat that could be used as a portal back to the land that the people in this town are from."

"Land? What?" Sam snapped. "I don't know what kind of bullshit you're playing off of right now, but we thought you were dead. Like, stone cold, killed by Thanos, gone for good."

"Well, I am not. We should get him to the place Peter is staying," Loki hissed back, once again all business.

Sam helped Loki lift Bucky onto the motorcycle and they drove up a hill, Loki giving directions. The instant they pulled up to the front gate of a mansion that Sam was sure would've made Tony Stark drool, Loki disappeared and the real Loki opened the door of the house.

"Get in," Loki told Sam. "Hurry. It's dark out."

"No shit, Sherlock," Sam muttered, heaving Bucky up the stairs.

A blonde woman appeared in the hallway once they got inside and burst out laughing. "The kid wasn't kidding! They could be twins!" She turned and called into another room. "Mary Margaret, come see this!"

Another woman joined her. "You must be Sam. And that must be James," she added, nodding at Bucky. "What happened?"

"Deer," Sam explained, following her up the stairs. "Buck swerved. Other buck ran off the road."

The woman, who must have been Mary Margaret, laughed at his joke. "Indeed. Lay him down in there." She pointed into a bedroom. Sam stumbled in, arms tired from supporting Bucky, and dropped the poor guy onto the mattress.

"Why couldn't they have saved back some of that serum stuff?" he muttered while heaving.

"Mr. Wilson?" Peter's timid voice came from the door.

Sam turned and immediately embraced the teenager, giving him a tight hug. "Hey, Peter. I heard about what happened. I'm really sorry- I know you're a good person."

Peter nodded, wriggling out of Sam's grip. "Thanks, Mr. Falcon, sir. I- uh- I don't have many people believing me right now. My girlfriend dumped me because she thought I really sent out that order."

"Well, it's gonna be okay now," Sam said, ruffling Peter's hair. "Where are we, by the way?"

"Storybrooke," Peter answered. "This is gonna sound weird, but a lot of fairy tale characters are real, and they were transported here as part of a curse."

Sam chuckled. "That's the least weird thing I've heard in the last several years, Peter." He strode past him and turned back. "Let's let Bucky rest. Probably has a nasty concussion."

Peter trotted out of the room after Sam, casting one last glance back in the room. "I sure hope he's okay," he muttered as he shut of the light and closed the door.

Bucky woke up with a blinding headache and a dull throb between his ears. "Ow..." he whined, trying to sit up.

"I wouldn't try that just yet," a voice said. A hand landed on his chest and pressed him back down into the sheets. Bucky slowly opened his eyes, careful in case the light was on. Likely, he had a concussion.

Surprisingly, he found his own face staring back at him inquisitively. "Wha-" he started to say, but a hand to his mouth shut him up.

"Peter told me about you. My name is Jefferson," his face said. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Am I in a hospital?" Bucky asked, squinted at this strange man.

Jefferson shook his head. "You're in my mansion. Your friend Sam brought you here once Loki found you. You swerved to avoid a deer and crashed your motorcycle."

"Loki's alive? Sam's my friend?" Bucky exclaimed, trying, once again, to sit up.

Jefferson grabbed his shoulders and pinned him down. "We're pretty sure you're concussed," he told Bucky. "Stay down for now."

"If Sam's my friend, where is he, then?" Bucky challenged, struggling a little against Jefferson.

"Sam decided to go on out and see what happened to your motorcycle," Jefferson explained. "He'll be back soon."

Bucky sighed. "And why, pray tell, do you look like me? Like, exactly like me?" He managed to finally sit up without his head spinning.

Jefferson shrugged. "Peter has a theory, but he's just a kid, so we don't know if it's correct or not."

"A kid with the brain power of three Tony Starks," Bucky added. Jefferson shot him a confused look. "He's actually really smart."

"Okay, I'll have to take your word for it," Jefferson said, shrugging. "I sent him down into town to see if he can enroll in the high school there."

Bucky nodded. "Alright. For now..." he grinned. "I'm starving, if you don't mind."

Jefferson's grin matched Bucky's, though it started to fall on the side of deranged. "It would be my pleasure."

Sam parked on the side of the road, shutting off his motorcycle engine and walked up and down the ditch for a while until he came upon what must be Bucky's motorcycle. He darted down into the ditch and ran his hand over the twisted metal. It was clearly damaged beyond repair from the crash, unless there was a miracle-working mechanic in Storybrooke.

As he heaved the hunk of steel out of the ditch, a car- an exquisite limousine- pulled up beside him and a little girl, maybe nine or ten, climbed out of the back. She stood with her hands on her hips and her feet planted firmly on the ground.

"I've seen you on TV," she said. "You're Sam Wilson, aren't you?"

Sam nodded, tugging the motorcycle onto a trailer that Jefferson had loaned to him. "At your service, ma'am."

The girl marched around to face him and said, "My name is Anna Parker, and I'm the little sister of your friend Peter."

The bungee cords Sam had just managed to grab dropped back into his bag. "What? I thought Peter was an only child?"

"So did he," Anna said. "But I was in my mother's stomach when she and my father were killed, and they managed to save me. She was days away from labor, fortunately. Peter doesn't remember because he was so young. Either that or he's chosen to believe that I died along with our parents."

Sam's eyes were probably bugging out of his head at this point. "Um, alright." He tied off the bungee cord and straddled his motorcycle. "Do you want to go see him?"

Anna's eyes lit up. "Yes, please! I know he's here, I went to May's and she said that he left for a town in Maine, so I just followed my instincts. My brother-tracking instincts." She smirked, which oddly reminded Sam of Jefferson. "I guess they didn't fail me."

Sam sighed. "Alright. Follow behind me and we'll go up to the house where he's staying."

She smiled and clambered back into the car. "Let's go, Happy!" Sam heard her say before the door shut.

"What am I gonna tell Peter?" Sam wondered aloud as he drove back towards Jefferson's mansion.


	3. Along Came A Spider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter meets the girl claiming to be his little sister, and the hospital workers agree to perform a DNA test. Bucky suggests that he and Jefferson try one as well, since they appear to be twins. Anna gets a hold of Jefferson's hat.

"This is not how I thought my Halloween was going to go," Bucky said, nursing a cup of tea.

Peter set down a burned plate of toast in front of him and gave him an encouraging smile. "Cheer up, Mr. Barnes. It's all going to be okay. At least I got out of the world safely, and you didn't die!"

Bucky chuckled at Peter's strange sense of optimism. "Well, there is that," he joked, taking a sip. "Ow! Shit!" The cup clattered to the table, tea spilling everywhere. "Way too hot!" Bucky panted, reaching for Peter's glass of water.

"Hey!" Peter protested while Mary Margaret cleaned up the tea.

"Don't worry about it," she said while Bucky apologized. "I'm used to tea spills. I've been here for nine years, and Jefferson has only been getting worse. Seeing his daughter would be the right thing for him, but when Emma went to ask her about it last week, she said that she still needs time, and so does he."

Bucky nodded, leaning back in his chair. "He seemed fine when I talked with him."

Peter set down his own plate of food and sat next to Bucky. "Sam just called. Said he's bringing some guests with him. Shouldn't be anything too dangerous, right?"

Just as Peter finished his sentence, Sam walked in with Happy and a little girl who was hiding behind him. "Uh, Peter, hi."

"Hi, Mr. Wilson!" Peter chirped, waving. "Happy, nice to see you!"

Happy smiled at Peter and patted him on the shoulder. "Nice to see you too, Peter."

"Who's that?" Peter asked, pointing at the girl. "Hi! I'm-"

"Peter Parker," the girl responded quickly. "You're, uh, how do I put this- you're my big brother."

Peter froze. "Uh, what?"

"My name's Anna," she explained. "Mom was pregnant with me when she and Dad died, and they got me out of her in time to save my life. You were really little so you don't remember." She strode confidently over to Peter and grabbed his hand. "They took me away because they thought that you would remember me as the one that lived instead of our parents." Her voiced dropped a little and her smile dropped. "I- Peter, I just want my big brother, for the first time in my life."

Peter took a deep breath. "Okay, Anna, um, I've learned not to trust people so quickly. I'm sorry, but I just don't know how I can believe you."

Anna stepped back, frowning. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Maybe this will convince you." She slid it over to Peter and crossed her arms.

Peter picked it up. It appeared to be a picture of Tony Stark holding a baby. Peter squinted at it. "Mr. Stark- Tony- raised you?"

"I was his charity case, to better his image. He never told me that, but believe me, I know." Anna considered her words. "He did love me, though."

"Uh..." Peter stared at the picture. "So that's why Mr. Stark was so willing to reach out to me."

Anna nodded. "I'm expecting that you'll want more proof, so I had Happy arrange for an appointment at the hospital. We're getting a DNA test." She reached for Peter's hand again. "Let's go."

Peter set down the picture uncertainly and took Anna's hand. "Okay... But if they come back negative, you can't tell anyone about me or where I am, understand?"

"I wouldn't do that even if they were positive," Anna chuckled. "Come on." She pulled Peter toward the door.

"Wait!" Bucky called after them. Both stopped and turned back. Bucky cleared his throat. "I- uh- Let Jefferson and me come with. We could do one too... the resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?" He turned to Mary Margaret for confirmation. She jumped, having spaced off, and shrugged.

"I suppose. It couldn't hurt." She collected her coat and bag and strode off, calling for Jefferson. "Bucky had an idea! Jefferson!"

Jefferson joined the group outside and they filled him in on Anna and their ideas. He looked at Anna strangely for a bit (which bothered Peter quite a lot) and then agreed to go with.

Everyone piled into the limousine and Mary Margaret drove them to the hospital. Anna led them inside, a little too confident for Peter's taste.

Peter pulled Happy aside after Anna had joined Mary Margaret to check in. "Do you really think she could be my sister?"

Happy shrugged. "I guess it's possible. Tony did raise her, though. I remember him caring for a kid that he cherished above everything." He lowered his voice so Anna couldn't hear and whispered, "The state put her in foster care when she was five. That's why you never met her. Tony was crushed. Threw himself into his work and tried to fill the void with money. Didn't work, of course." He glanced back at Anna. "That was a good eight years ago. I'm surprised she even remembers Tony."

"So is Tony coming to see me?" Anna asked, popping up from out of nowhere. Peter flinched. Had this kid been living under a rock for the past year or so?

Happy tugged Peter back into the conversation. "The foster family she was with until I came to get her didn't believe in the news. She rarely even got to go outside, and she was home schooled. I think they were too protective of her. She doesn't know."

Peter nodded slowly. "I'll do it gently." He turned back to Anna and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Anna... Mr. Stark fought a huge battle a while ago. The good guys won, and that's why you came back. The snap took you away, and now you're back here with us. But Tony isn't."

Anna's eyes filled with tears. "You mean... he's... dead?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, kiddo," Peter muttered. "But he didn't die in vain. He's still watching over us." He ruffled Anna's hair and kissed her forehead. "No matter what happens, I'm gonna look out for you. That's what Mr. Stark would have wanted me to do."

"Okay..." Anna whimpered. "I just- I was looking forward to seeing him again." She sniffed and threw herself into Peter's arms, crying into his shirt. "Peter, I'm scared. What if I have to go back to that awful family that doesn't let me watch TV?"

Peter shook his head. "That's not gonna happen. I promise." He held her close for a bit, and then a doctor called their names and they stood up together and held hands on their way back.

"So... I'm guessing you like tea," Bucky said, attempting to start a conversation.

Jefferson laughed. "I do, in fact. I truly enjoy it. Grace and I used to have tea parties all the time, and we'd play hide and seek, and we'd-" he cut himself off abruptly. "I miss her," he admitted quietly.

Bucky smiled, putting a hand on Jefferson's shoulder. "I understand. I would miss my daughter too, dearly." He turned back to one of the magazines.

"Hi, Bucky!" a little voice called from somewhere.

Bucky looked up and laughed. "Hey, look, it's the kids! They're back!"

Anna ran up to Bucky and hugged him. "It wasn't much fun because they poked me with a needle but they're going to examine our blood and let us know in a few days!"

Surprised, Bucky hugged back. "Um, okay. That's great news."

"It's your turn now," Peter added, putting a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Go on back."

Bucky and Jefferson slowly stood, trying to avoid eye contact with the other person.

Bucky was afraid that he'd see his own eyes looking back at him.

Jefferson was afraid that Bucky would see any weakness he was showing.

A couple of days later, Jefferson returned to the hospital to collect the results, leaving the house in the care of Happy. Mary Margaret and Emma went back to their apartment since "someone responsible-" pointed look at Happy, "-is going to be there."

Happy, Sam and Bucky were out getting groceries, so Peter decided to surprise them with some popcorn. He was just about in the kitchen when he heard a screech of "PETER! GET UP HERE AND LOOK AT THIS!"

Peter dashed up the stairs, afraid that Anna had hurt herself. "Anna? Are you alright?"

He ran into Jefferson's room to find Anna sitting on the floor with a brown box in front of her. It was a tall box with a dip in the lid. She took off the top and pulled out a hat.

Jefferson's hat.

"Isn't this cool?" she giggled, holding it out.

"Careful," Peter warned, taking the hat and setting it on the bed. "I tossed that thing and it went bonkers.

Anna's eye lit up. "Really?" she squealed, and grabbed the hat. "Let's try it!"

"Wait, no-" Peter started, but Anna had already thrown the hat to the floor. It began to spin and get bigger and bigger and bigger until it became a vortex.

"Step back!" Peter cried, trying to drag Anna away, but she shook her arm free.

"Peter! Look!" She stumbled forward, and was sucked, without warning, right into the hat.

Peter's eyes widened. "Anna!" he yelled, diving after her.

The front door slammed just as the hat snapped back to its original size.

"Peter? Anna?" Jefferson called. "Where are you?"

Jefferson walked into the kitchen, still calling for the two kids. "Guys, are we playing hide and seek?" He grinned. "It's been far too long!"

He started his search in the living room. No one was in there. The downstairs bathroom was quickly eliminated as well. Deciding to start upstairs, Jefferson made his way up towards his room.

"If I find you in my room, you'll regret it!" he teased. "I got the papers back from the hospital, come out, come out, wherever you are!" Jefferson checked the bathroom first. No one.

"You guys are good!" he laughed. "I'll find you, though. Hey, these results are pretty interesting. Bucky and I share identical DNA, how about that? Isn't that crazy? And it turns out that you guys are actually-"

Jefferson pushed the door to his room open to find it empty and his hat sitting on the floor. "-siblings." He froze. "No, no, no!" Dashing to the hat, he picked it up and spun it, peering down into the tunnel that formed. At the bottom, he could see Peter and Anna. Anna was excitedly pulling Peter over to the Looking Glass.

"Oh, come on," he muttered.

Bucky came running up behind him. "What happened? We just got back from grocery shopping."

Jefferson turned to Bucky, clutching the hat tightly. "Peter and Anna fell down the rabbit hole."


	4. What Are Those?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Jefferson decide to go after Peter and Anna. They'll need some technology to help them do it, and maybe Bucky's contact could help analyze the hat...

"They fell... Down your little rabbit hole?" Bucky snapped.

Jefferson sighed, loosening his grip on the hat. "We can easily go in and find them."

"I don't think that it's going to be easy, but I do agree that we need to find them," Bucky returned, glaring Jefferson down. "I could blame you, but I know what it's like to take blame you don't deserve. Maybe Anna's curiosity got the better of her."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Jefferson chuckled, twirling the hat on his finger. "What do you suggest we do first?"

Bucky sighed. "We have to go get Loki so we can leave safely. Then, we're going to go meet up with an old friend of mine."

"Okay," Jefferson agreed, holding out the hat. "You hang onto it. I can't be trusted."

After a moment of hesitation, Bucky took the hat and put it back in the box. "We should go, then. Get Loki and let Sam and Happy know what happened so they don't freak out once we've gone."

Jefferson smirked. "And you say that Steve was the brains of the operation."

Bucky fought back a smile that broke through anyway. He punched himself internally and pushed the smile back. Peter and Anna could be in danger, and he needed to remain serious. "Well, we'll need the Quinjet from the tower to get to where we want to go." He pulled out his phone and, as he dialed, told Jefferson, "Go get Loki, I'll be right behind you."

Jefferson did as he was told, leaving the house to find the god. Emma had said that he was staying in Mr. Gold's shop, in the back room. Indeed, when he entered, Loki was leaning against the counter.

"All magic comes with a price," Loki said immediately. "Are you willing to pay it?"

"What is it?" Jefferson asked, stopping where he was.

Loki shrugged. "What are you willing to pay to get those children back safe? Your own child?"

"No!" Jefferson exclaimed, freezing. "Please... Can't you just take us out of here? We just want Peter and Anna to be okay."

Loki laughed, seeming to enjoy the look of horror on Jefferson's face. "I'm just kidding. I thought I'd try and be like Rumplestiltskin for a bit." He grinned, baring his teeth a little. "Come on, let's get you and your little doppelganger out of Storybrooke."

Ten minutes later, the trio was standing at the city line, Loki working magic on the spell. "We need to hurry," he explained as he worked. "Time works strangely in Wonderland. Those kids could have been in there for two minutes or two years for all we know."

Bucky gritted his teeth. "Just speed it along, Loki. Less talk, more 'the Quinjet is on its way thanks to Happy and we have to get moving'."

"Relax," Loki said, stepping across the line. "You may come through now."

Jefferson crossed the line. So did Bucky. Both held their breath for a moment, then sighed when nothing happened.

"Look at that!" Anna exclaimed, pointed at a caterpillar. "Isn't it pretty?"

Peter shrugged, hating that he'd let her drag him here, hating that they could be in danger. "Okay, it's cute. Let's go back now." He turned back to the glass and tried to walk through, but something was blocking him. "Anna? I can't get back!"

Anna turned around and chuckled. "Well, that's the magic of the glass, you see. I learned about this from Jefferson, he told me some fun stories while we were at his house. The same amount of people who go through the looking glass have to come back. No more, no less." She spun around joyfully. "Welcome to Wonderland! Follow me!"

"Oh, no," Peter muttered, stalking after the excited child. "Please let her get tired so we can go home."

"I heard that!"

"Of course you did."

Peter walked past the caterpillar again, which blew out some smoke from its pipe and asked him, "Who are you?"

Confused, Peter answered, "Peter Parker?"

Anna grabbed his hand. "Hurry, Peter! I want to meet the Queen of Hearts!"

Peter dug his heels in. "Hang on, wasn't she the lady who was all, 'off with their heads' and stuff?"

"Well, yeah," Anna said, "but if I get an audience with her, maybe she can show us around!"

Groaning, Peter let Anna pull him along. "I'm going to regret this."

"No you won't!" she returned happily. "Let's go find the maze!"

"Maze?"

"I told her too many stories," Jefferson said as they boarded the Quinjet. "She couldn't sleep here, so I told her about Wonderland to get her to rest. I may have divulged information about the Queen of Hearts that puts her in danger."

Bucky sat down in the pilot's seat, gesturing for Jefferson to sit next to him. Jefferson ignored him, but he continued. "Happy said that she's one of those kids that loves princesses and tea parties and fairy tales." He shot Jefferson a look. "Sound familiar?"

Jefferson tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. "She looks exactly like my Grace."

"Is this where the party is?" Sam interrupted, dropping his stuff next to to the copilot's seat and strapping in. "Where are we even going?"

"To see an old friend," Bucky replied. He glanced back at Jefferson. "I'm assuming you've never flown before," he added.

Jefferson shook his head. The collar of his jacket fell, revealing a scar that circled his neck.

Bucky looked at the scar quizzically. "What-"

"Off with his head," Jefferson explained. "That's what she said. Next thing I knew, I was staring down at my own body on the ground."

"How the hell are you alive?" Sam asked, shooting Jefferson a look.

Jefferson shrugged. "Wonderland."

Sam nodded. "Alright, I get it." He turned and mouthed to Bucky, "I don't get it."

Bucky buckled his seat belt and motioned for Jefferson to do the same. "Perhaps he will elaborate during the flight."

Once they were in the air, Bucky set the ship to auto-flight and climbed out of his seat, joining Jefferson in the passenger area. "So, you gonna tell me what you told Anna?"

Jefferson sighed. "If it'll help us get the children back." He leaned back and took a deep breath. "I used to be a portal-jumper, going to all sorts of magical realms. Wonderland, The Enchanted Forest, Camelot, Fairyland." Noticing the look on Bucky's face, he rolled his eyes. "Yes, there is such a thing as Fairyland. I went through these realms, stealing what I could and escaping. After I met my wife and we had a daughter, I stopped jumping until Grace was two years old. The last trip cost me my wife, and so I stopped." He chuckled. "This is the part where Anna started asking one question after another."

Bucky shrugged. "Children are so inquisitive. I remember being like that."

"What's your story, then?" Jefferson asked. "I shared mine, you share yours. It's only fair." He smirked a little.

"Well," Bucky said, choosing his words carefully. "I dropped out of school to help my friend Steve, who at the time suffered from a lot of medical shit, asthma and things like that." Seeing that Jefferson was obviously confused, he elaborated. "A disease that made it very hard for him to breathe sometimes. After his mom died, I became his caretaker. I went into the military and Steve joined me after doctors shot stuff into him that wiped out his asthma and all those problems. While on a mission, I fell off a moving train and lost my arm. I was captured by this-" his voice broke slightly as he recalled the pain that Hydra had inflicted, "-organization that was plotting all sorts of horrible things. They turned me into a machine that did nothing but hurt and kill people." He stopped, trying to regain his composure.

Jefferson leaned over and put a hand on Bucky's knee. "That sounds awful. I'm sorry."

Bucky wiped away a couple of tears that were threatening to spill over and muttered a "no, no, it's okay," that was interrupted by a tiny _achoo_.

Both men were instantly alert, and it didn't take long for Bucky to uncover the little girl hidden in one of the supply cabinets, who was wiping her nose and seemed to be holding her breath. When she saw Bucky, she launched out of the cabinet and hugged him. "Papa! I knew you'd be back!"

Jefferson stepped back, stunned. "Grace?"

"This is Grace?" Bucky asked, prying her off him. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Grace, honey, I'm not your papa," Bucky explained. "He is." He pointed over at Jefferson, who was frozen, staring at Grace.

Grace let go of Bucky and ran to Jefferson, holding him even tighter. "Papa! Papa! I always knew that we'd find each other again!"

Jefferson looked to Bucky, eyes wide. Bucky smiled and mouthed, "Hug her back."

Slowly, Jefferson crouched down and hugged Grace back. "I- I missed you, Grace. My Grace..." He closed his eyes and rested his head on Grace's shoulder.

"That's the thing about family." Loki's voice startled the three out of their trance. "They always find each other." His smirk made Bucky think that he might have had something to do with Grace stowing away on the ship.

"Yes," Jefferson agreed, pulling back and holding Grace's shoulders. "Family always finds each other." He seemed to remember where he was and immediately narrowed his eyes. "Did you sneak on board, Grace?"

Grace hung her head. "Yes, Papa," she admitted. "That man told me that you'd be happy to see me!"

"We're headed towards a country I've never been to, and I don't know if you'll be safe there-" Jefferson started, but Bucky cut him off.

"Rest assured, Jefferson, I lived in Wakanda for a couple of years, and it's perfectly safe. Everyone is very nice there." He walked over and set a hand on Grace's head. She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "I'm not your papa," he repeated. "My name is Bucky Barnes, and I'm just making sure that the people I care for are safe, and that includes you, miss."

Jefferson pulled Grace closer to him protectively. "She won't come with us through the hat."

Grace frowned. "I wanna go," she complained. "Whatever it is, I wanna help you."

"Hate to interrupt the family reunion," Sam called, "but we're landing."

The jet touched down in the middle of the palace courtyard, a sight all too familiar to Bucky. Once the door opened, Jefferson lead Grace out and was immediately hugged by a young woman. "White Wolf! You've returned," she declared.

Jefferson gently pushed her back. "Oh, I'm not-"

"He's not Bucky," Bucky joked, stepping past Jefferson and pulling the woman into a hug. "How are you, Shuri?"

"Good, except for the fact that I feel betrayed," Shuri laughed. "You didn't tell me you had a twin!"

Bucky rolled his eyes. "He's not my twin." Shuri started to say something, but Bucky interrupted. "I'll explain inside."

"So you're telling me that this guy could be you from another universe?" Shuri asked.

"The test results we got back reveal that our DNA is identical, and since the hat takes people to different worlds, the idea of a multiverse is plausible," Jefferson explained.

Shuri shrugged. "I suppose you're right," she admitted. "If you're needed to rescue this Peter guy and this Anna girl- siblings?- then you may need a little help from technology."

Jefferson scoffed. "We don't even know if it will work in Wonderland."

Bucky shook his head. "Bring it as a precaution. Then if it doesn't work, we make a game plan from there."

"Is that our solution?" Jefferson snapped. "That raises so many questions!"

Shuri nodded. "I suppose. The only one that needs answered immediately, however, is _what are those?_" she asked, gesturing to Grace's plastic sandals.

"Do you like them?" Grace giggled. "I think they make me look like a princess."

Shuri smiled. "What if I told you that I am a princess?"

Grace's eyes widened. "You're very beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Can I keep her?" Shuri asked Jefferson, hugging the little girl immediately.

Jefferson sighed. "Back on track, everyone. Peter and Anna are in danger."

"Wait," Bucky interrupted. "This multiverse thing is seeming more likely every second. Anna and I both have people from the Enchanted Forest that we are in that universe. If I'm the Mad Hatter and Anna is Grace, who is Peter?"

The air in the room became a million times more tense. Jefferson exhaled sharply. "I haven't seen Peter in the Enchanted Forest, but I have seen his face in Wonderland. He moves fast, never stopping to rest, and I swear, that kid is always late. When he was late to one of the Queen's parties, she turned him into a rabbit."

"The White Rabbit," Bucky answered immediately.

"Yes," Jefferson replied. "The White Rabbit. One of the reasons my wife is dead."


	5. Looking Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jefferson and Bucky begin to see similarities. Sam drags Bucky aside for a conversation about Jefferson.

Silence fell over the room before Shuri broke it with, "I'll need a few hours to gather technology and analyze the hat. I'll be as quick as I can." She took Jefferson's hat and dashed out.

Jefferson's words about Peter sunk in to the remaining people in the room. "Well," Loki finally said, "this has been educational, but I believe I'm going to take a nap before we jump down the rabbit hole."

"We?" Bucky started, but Jefferson cut him off.

"Maybe if he broke the curse when we left Storybrooke, he could break the spell on the Looking Glass." Bucky tilted his head to the side, confused. "There's a rule once you enter Wonderland. The same amount of people who enter must leave. That rule trapped me there once, and I don't plan on letting it do that again." He looked to Loki. "If you can meddle with the spell, you may join us."

Loki smirked. "Thank you." He turned to go. "Wake me up when we're leaving."

Once he had gone, Sam released a groan. "Come on, man! I don't wanna have to put up with the guy just cause he can wave his hands around and do magic!"

"Magic..." Jefferson muttered. "Sam, has Loki ever been to this world before?"

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, once, about eleven years back. He came with an army, planning to take over."

"That's the surge I felt!" Jefferson exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table. "That was the same time we thought the curse was broken. A powerful magic user entered this world and brought magic everywhere but Storybrooke. Once he entered the town, my hat could be used again, which is how Anna and Peter could enter Wonderland!"

Bucky jumped to his feet. "Loki has to come with," he added. "None of us can use magic, so we don't have a chance in a world where magic runs wild without a person who uses magic."

"Are we sure this is the best option?" Sam asked, worried.

"Yes," Jefferson said. "Unless you have any better ideas."

Sam shook his head. All three fell silent, wracking their brains before Jefferson spoke up. "Mayor Mills can use magic, but she's evil."

"No better shot that we have now. Anyone else?" Sam returned.

Jefferson smiled. "As a matter of fact, yes."

"What do you mean 'Emma, you have to come to Waka-waka-eh-eh"? Emma barked into the phone. "I can't use magic!"

Jefferson sighed. "Please?"

Grace piped up. "Maybe Anna has some skills we don't know about?"

"Just go with the weird ice dude," Emma told him. "I'm useless to you." She hung up before Jefferson could reply.

Bucky pushed off the wall he'd been leaning on and walked over to Jefferson. "She's right, Sam," Bucky said. "I hate to admit it, but Loki is our best option right now."

Sam sighed. "Fine, but if he tries anything, the Queen of Hearts won't be the only person going 'off with his head'." He mimed a chopping motion with one arm.

"Too soon," Jefferson said, but he cracked a smile at Sam's joke.

"My apologies, Mr. Hatter," Sam shot back, also smiling.

"Guys, let's focus," Bucky interrupted. "We need to get to Wonderland, which to me sounds like one of the most dangerous places we've ever been to. Because we don't know what we're up against- not even you, Jefferson- don't argue, you know I'm right- we need to at least train Jefferson in at least a little weapon usage."

Sam rolled his eyes. "And the former top assassin of Hydra is gonna do it?"

"The Avenger is gonna do it," Bucky snapped back, clearly offended by the dig. "And I will thank you, Sam-" he shoved Sam up against the wall and slowly inched the metal hand close to Sam's throat, "-to never mention my past so flippantly again."

Jefferson cleared his throat. "Sorry to break up your flirting, boys, but my daughter is in that corner, and I'd appreciate it if she didn't have to watch a man getting murdered before the age of twelve."

Bucky let go of Sam, but a playful smirk crossed his face. "So once she turns twelve, Sam is fair game?"

"That's not what I-"

"I HAVE TECHNOLOGY, BROKEN WHITE BOY!" Shuri yelled, kicking the door in and stumbling into the room with three silver cases. Grace, who was recovering from almost having witnessed a first-degree murder, slowly joined her.

Bucky took one of the cases and opened it. He examined the contents and laughed. "Shuri, you never fail to surprise me."

Shuri grinned, pushing the other cases to Sam and Jefferson. "Here you go, other broken white boy and bird boy."

Sam shot her a look before opening his case. "Aw, yeah," he muttered, running a hand over what was inside. "This is exactly what I needed."

Jefferson watched the other two start strapping on the gear, a little confused. "How do I-" Shuri popped the case open, pushing it towards him. "Oh, thanks." He pulled out what was inside. "A gun?" he asked.

"I just picked Bucky's favorite and made some upgrades," Shuri explained. "There's a manual inside."

Jefferson picked up the sniper rifle and took a deep breath. "Bucky said something about weapons training?"

"No need," Shuri said, a smirk crossing her face. "The manual is one we typically use for children who are around five to seven when they start using this. You seemed a little confused so I put it in there for you."

Grace burst into laughter. "And here I thought I wasn't witnessing a murder today!" She and Shuri high-fived. Jefferson glared at his daughter briefly before turning back to the gun.

Bucky walked over, shaking his head. He put his case next to Jefferson's. "Ignore them. Shuri has hand blasters, so she doesn't use guns, and she likes to make fun of people who aren't as technologically advanced. Me included." Both laughed, Jefferson internally grateful for Bucky's niceness.

"Well, then!" Loki said, walking back in. "Are we ready to go?"

Shuri jumped. "Oh, look, Extremely Broken White Boy is back. Did you want a gun as well?"

Loki chuckled. "No, I have my own weapons, thank you."

"Really?" Grace chirped. "Like what?"

"Grace-" Jefferson tried to say, but he was interrupted by the sound of crashing metal as Loki shook his coat and dozens of daggers and swords fell out.

After the din had subsided, Sam finally spoke up. "You keeping those up your ass?"

Loki glared at him. "No." A final clink followed a tiny pocketknife falling out. With no further explanation, he began to put all the weapons back in his coat. "And watch your language," he added. "There's a child right there."

"I've heard worse," Grace said, shrugging.

Jefferson sighed. "Let's just get going." Grace ran to his side but he shook his head. "Not you, sweetie. This is something really dangerous, and I need you to stay here."

"The last time you said that," Grace pouted, crossing her arms, "I didn't see you for thirty-nine years."

Shuri matched the little girl's folded arms and cocked her hip for good measure.

Jefferson sighed and went back to the case. "You anticipated this, didn't you, Shuri?"

"Indeed I did," Shuri said as Jefferson pulled a smaller bow and quiver of arrows out of the case.

Grace took the weapons from Jefferson and grinned. "Quality family time," she sang, slinging them across her back.

"Which I hate to interrupt, but we have more family to rescue," Bucky interjected, putting a hand on Jefferson's shoulder. "Shuri, the hat?"

Shuri handed Jefferson the hat. "You're in luck, I happened to figure out that the only condition for the hat to work is that if there is no magic in a world, a magic user or former magic user must spin it."

Jefferson frowned. "So..."

Loki appeared behind Shuri and took the hat from Jefferson. "It would be my honor," he proclaimed, tossing the hat on the floor with a spin. The hat began to grow. Bigger and bigger, spinning faster and faster.

Sam joined the group and watched the hat with wide eyes. "You sure that's safe?"

Jefferson looked back at Bucky. "Only thing I'll guarantee is that we all should reach the other end with no problem."

Bucky nodded. "It'll have to do."

"Everyone hang onto each other," Jefferson instructed. "So we don't get lost. Six go through, six come back." He held out his hands, and Grace and Bucky hung on. Sam reluctantly gripped Loki's arm, and Loki hung onto Shuri. Finally, Shuri reached down and held Grace's hand, and they jumped through, hanging on for dear life.

"Kinda anti-climatic," Sam muttered when they landed smoothly in a room with many doors leading off in all different directions. "So we're in your hat?"

Bucky laughed. "Can't say that wasn't fun."

Jefferson let go of Bucky, but held on to Grace. "Let's hurry this up. I don't want to be in Wonderland any longer than I have to."

The group gathered in front of the Looking Glass and scooted through in a clump. Once they were through, Grace dropped to a squat and pointed out some footprints. "They must have gone this way!" she announced.

"Slow down, Grace!" Jefferson called after her as she darted after the footprints. "Those could be anyone's prints!"

"Anyone with the exact same shoe size as me?" Grace asked, turning back to face her father.

Jefferson held his breath. "Fair," he finally said.

Loki strutted past him and down the path. "Let's hurry, then. I'm sure the spider-child and his sister are waiting for us to find them."

Sam grabbed Bucky's arm, holding him back. "You really think this is a good idea?"

Bucky nodded. "Yes. Stark will kill me if anything happened to Peter on my watch, and Anna is just a kid."

"Stark's dead."

"I'm ninety percent certain that wouldn't stop him."

"Fine," Sam relented, "but I don't like that Jefferson guy. He's insane. A guy that wants to be in this weird place?"

Bucky glared Sam down. "I don't think he wants to be here, Sam."

Sam groaned. "You know what, you're too stubborn for your own good. Let's keep moving." He adjusted his wing pack and stomped off.

Bucky stood alone on the path, wondering what Jefferson had done to make Sam hate him so quickly.

"I hope they never find us!" Anna laughed as she swung on some thick vines dangling from a huge tree.

"Careful, Anna!" Peter implored, reaching for his sister. "I know you're having fun, but it's really time to go back now!"

A deep laughed startled Anna down from the tree, and she ran into Peter's arms. "What was that?" she asked.

Peter stared up into the tree, crushing his little sister to his chest. "Stay here," he whispered. As he watched, a pair of white paws appeared. Then two more. Then a vest and a clean shirt. Then a pair of neat dress slacks. Then a pair of white ears. Finally, the creature's face came into view.

Some sort of rabbit-human hybrid jumped down. It had the paws and feet of a rabbit, but the head of a human, except for the two ears that had appeared previously. Stranger still was the fact that the thing looked exactly like Peter.

"Who are you?" Peter got out.

The rabbit laughed. "I'm the White Rabbit, of course! Just in case you hadn't noticed. And you look quite familiar. Have we met?"

Peter shook his head. "I- no, I've never been here before."

Anna squeezed her brother's hand, seeing that it was unnerving him to stare at his own face. "We just came here by chance," she explained. "Through a hat."

The White Rabbit titled his head. "You also look familiar." He was about to say more, but the sound of a clock alarm interrupted him. "I'm late!" he exclaimed, grabbing the children's arms and hopping into the tree through a door.

Peter struggled, but the White Rabbit seemed to be stronger than both of them. "Help! Help! Help!" Peter screamed just as the door closed and they began to fall.


	6. Down The Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky believes that Jefferson is descending into madness, so Shuri confronts him about their options if he goes off the deep end. Sam's skills from his army days prove useful when he tracks the children to an empty tree, and his reasons for his anger towards Jefferson become apparent to Bucky. Jefferson begs for his daughter to stay out of danger, but she has other ideas. Bucky and Jefferson talk a little about their pasts.

Jefferson whirled around. "Did you hear that?"

Bucky shook his head. "Hear what? You've been on edge since we got here, maybe you're hearing things."

"No," Jefferson insisted. "I swear I heard someone calling for help."

Grace tugged on Bucky's sleeve. "He's right, he's really good at finding people."

"Here," Sam announced, pointing at Grace's foot. "Let's follow footprints that match Grace's. Loki and I will take the front, Bucky, you and Shuri take the back. Jefferson and Grace, stay in the middle." Jefferson opened his mouth in protest, but Sam cut him off. "You're not as well-trained in fighting. Steve always told me that he could count on Bucky to watch his six, and I'm going to do the same." He gave Bucky a quick smile. "He hasn't gotten me killed yet."

Bucky nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan."

As they began to follow the footprints, Shuri pulled Bucky back from the group. "I have a backup plan," she whispered. "In case Jefferson really goes mad."

"Okay?" Bucky said, slowing his pace to match with her. "Which is?"

Shuri pulled a small pistol from the inside of her jacket. "I hate to remind you of this, but if he starts to jeopardize the mission, we may have no choice."

Bucky took a deep breath. "One of the chemicals Hydra used to knock me out and wipe my memories."

"Yes," Shuri confirmed, pulling out one of the bullets. "I took the liberty of adding in a small painkiller as well so he wouldn't even feel the bullet go in. He'd be down before he could react." She held it up to the sunlight, showing the pink liquid inside. "The capsule dissolves three seconds after it comes into contact with something, so the liquid will spread more quickly." Seeing the look on Bucky's face, she added, "I don't like it any more than you do, but if we can stop him from being a danger to himself and others, especially Grace..."

Bucky sighed. "Fine. At least let me have it. No offense, but I'm a better shot than you, and if he's behaving so erratically that he's a moving target, I have a better chance."

Shuri handed over the gun. "No offense taken, Sergeant Barnes. Now, let's catch up."

Bucky watched her catch up with the group, and took a deep breath. If worst came to worst, he couldn't shoot Jefferson and he knew it. He had no doubt in his mind that Shuri would do it in a second, but it wasn't fair to Jefferson. He knew what that chemical did to people, first-hand, and the painkiller would no doubt be only effective against the bullet, not the searing pain that came with the aftermath. Shuri obviously hadn't known that, and it wasn't her fault

"Get your ass up here, White Wolf!" Shuri called. "We don't have all- Jefferson, are the days the same here?"

As Bucky rejoined the group, the blue sky suddenly shifted to black. "What..."

Jefferson sighed. "Wonderland is strange. I know it's not ideal, but we need to make camp."

"We can use that tree for a shelter!" Grace announced, pointing at a large tree up ahead.

Sam flicked on a flashlight and examined the ground. "Guys, look." Bucky joined him, examining the footprints. "The prints lead around the tree several times," he explained, "and then this one is right up against the tree."

Jefferson pressed a hang against the bark. "The White Rabbit. He's got portals going all over Wonderland. I wouldn't be surprised if he hopped through this tree and took the kids with them."

"Perhaps he needed them for some purpose?" Loki wondered aloud.

Jefferson stiffened. "No, no, that- I-" he stuttered.

Reaching for her father's hand, Grace glared Loki down. "I'm sure they're safe right now. We just have to open the tree."

Sam stepped between Jefferson and Loki, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "I'll give you ladies time to cat fight later, let's just get this over with. Loki-" he gave the god a slight shove, sending him stumbling back in shock, "-go set up the tent. And Jefferson-" he put both hands on Jefferson's shoulders and shoved him to the ground, ignoring Grace's protests, "-go fuck yourself."

More than one person shot to cover Grace's ears (Shuri and Bucky), but she pushed them off. "Actors in movies I like have said worse," she told them.

A long silence followed.

Finally, Jefferson got to his feet, brushed off his jeans, and locked eyes with Bucky. "I wouldn't be opposed," he casually said.

Bucky froze.

"ACTORS!" Grace screamed, startling the rest of the group. "That's it!" She reached into her backpack and pulled out a laptop. "I have an idea!"

Miraculously, the laptop turned on and she was able to pull up a webpage. "There's this guy, you know, he looks exactly like my papa and Bucky, and he's an actor. He curses sometimes in movies, which is how I know those words." She gave Jefferson a guilty look before returning to her search. "The thing is, he's from the world we were sent to, not the Enchanted Forest."

"Your point is," Sam said, having recovered from his little tantrum.

Grace glared at him. "If you ever lay a hand on my papa again, I won't hesitate to hurt you." She turned back to the screen and pulled up a picture. Bucky and Jefferson crowded behind her, Bucky maintaining his distance due to Jefferson's casual comment. "See? He looks just like you guys."

"That's impossible," Shuri interrupted, looking over Bucky's shoulder. "He and Bucky exist in the same universe. That's not possible, you can't have two of the same man."

"Unless Hydra was onto more than we thought," Bucky interrupted.

Jefferson swatted Bucky's arm. "We'll deal with that later. For now, let's set up camp and find Peter and Anna in the morning."

Bucky nodded. "How many tents-"

"Three," Shuri said quickly, clearly not willing to delve deeper into dimension-hopping. "Three two-person tents."

"I'm not rooming with him," Bucky and Sam said in unison, glaring at each other.

Shuri took Grace's hand and lead her over to a tent. "Draw straws, boys. Girls must room with girls."

Sam took one look at Jefferson and said, "I'll take my chances with Loki. I'd rather get stabbed than strangled with a hat."

"Smothered," Jefferson corrected. "Can't have the two insane people in the same tent, now can we?" He gave Loki a nod.

"Jefferson and I will share a tent," Bucky jumped in, trying to alleviate some of the tension. 

Loki smirked. "Fine by me." He shared a look with Bucky and hauled one of the tents off Sam's backpack. "I'll get it set up."

Jefferson took the last tent and walked off by himself without a word. Bucky whirled on Sam and hissed, "I don't know what's got your boxers in a knot about Jefferson, but you need to cut it out."

Silence. Sam eventually sighed and responded with, "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because he has your stupid face!" His voice rose in level as he got closer to Bucky.

"Shut the hell up, Sam," Bucky snapped back. "I don't have time for your schoolyard anger. We have to help those kids and we need to be on the same side."

Sam growled in Bucky's face. "I don't care. Steve's off being old somewhere while I'm stuck babysitting his childhood BFF, and I don't like it!"

Taking a deep breath, Bucky put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You don't have to. I hate you just as much as you hate me, and if we're not going to get over it, at least call a truce for the-"

"Go fuck yourself, Barnes," Sam snapped, and stormed off to help Loki set up the tent.

Bucky looked past them to Shuri, who was holding her hands over Grace's ears. "Language around the child!" she exclaimed.

"Steve made that joke once," Bucky muttered, stalking over to Jefferson.

"Okay, Steve," Stephen Strange said, "you sure you want to try this?"

Steve nodded, popping on the helmet of the time-travel suit. "Buck's been real lonely lately, and I promised, end of the line. I'm not about to break that twice."

Strange took a deep breath. "Okay, Bruce, press the button," he said.

Bruce pressed the button.

Steve was sucked back into the van and appeared seconds later, looking like a healthy, normal, 34-year-old man.

He pulled off the suit and grinned. "I feel young again. Must have worked. Now-" he smiled at Bruce. "I hear my boyfriend is living up in Maine with Sam?"

The sun appeared about three hours later, waking Bucky up. He stretched, relishing in the feel of Steve's arms around his waist. He'd been having such a wonderful dream about the two of them, and how they could get married now that it was legal, and-

His eyes shot open.

Steve was an old man.

Bucky was in Wonderland.

And Jefferson was sleeping with his head on Bucky's chest and his arms around his waist.

Bucky almost screamed, then decided he didn't want to wake up Grace. "Jefferson," he hissed, shaking him a little. "Jefferson, wake up!"

"Five more minutes, Priscilla," Jefferson mumbled into Bucky's shirt.

"Priscilla?" Bucky wondered aloud.

Jefferson opened his eyes sleepily and blinked up at Bucky. "You're not Priscilla."

Bucky shook his head. "Who is she?"

Jefferson tucked his head back under Bucky's arm and sighed. "My wife," he said. "She died when Grace was very little. Sometimes I still have dreams of her."

Sadness plucked at Bucky's heart and he pulled Jefferson closer. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's not your fault," Jefferson replied. "It's mine." Before Bucky could protest, he continued. "She died because of my portal jumping. We were almost out of money and I had to do something, so we went to steal something very valuable. One of the guards shot her and she died in my arms."

Bucky hesitantly set a hand in Jefferson's hair. "That's terrible," he said, trying to find the right words. "Um, my boyfriend Steve left me in favor of a woman we knew seventy years ago. Had to travel back in time and everything."

"That's almost worse," Jefferson groaned. The vibration of his voice sent chills up and down Bucky's spine. "He sounds like an ass."

"He's not, that's what made it worse," Bucky muttered. "It was a completely out of character move for him."

Jefferson propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Bucky. "That really sucks. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Bucky muttered, echoing his words from earlier. "It's just- he promised me 'to the end of the line'." Bucky scoffed. "I guess I should have known. He lied to Tony about not knowing who had killed his parents."

"Tony?" Jefferson asked, setting his hand on Bucky's scars, where the metal met flesh.

Bucky couldn't bear to see his own eyes staring back at him anymore, so he watched a bug's shadow as it crawled up the tent wall. "A guy that really, really hated me. I killed his parents."

An audible gasp came from above him. "Why?" Jefferson asked (but he didn't flinch away, somehow).

"I didn't have control over my actions. This organization, the one I mentioned to you earlier? Hydra?" Jefferson nodded, so Bucky continued. "I said they turned me into a ruthless machine that killed without feeling or guilt. Well, the Winter Soldier didn't have to the live with the guilt, so they succeeded." He slipped his hands underneath his head, Jefferson's hand sliding to his neck. "I had to live with it, though."

"Bucky..."

Finally, Bucky looked up at Jefferson and saw only pity in the usually maddening blue eyes. Jefferson moved his hand from Bucky's neck to his cheek and ran his thumb over the tears that had leaked from Bucky's eyes. "Look at me," Jefferson whispered, touching his forehead to Bucky's. "It's okay. Whatever happened in the past, that's already happened. All we can do is move forward."

Both slowly leaned closer and closer until their lips barely brushed- but Jefferson wrenched away and sat up. "Sorry, I- never mind. We should get dressed and go after the kids."

Jefferson grabbed his coat, pulled it on, and left the tent.

Bucky was left with the slight taste of cardamom on his lips and empty hands where Jefferson's arms had been a few seconds ago.

Strange picked up the dusty old hat and spun it on his finger. "Definitely a magical artifact. Not from this realm, either," he added.

Steve crossed his arms. "Well? What do we do with it?"

Strange flipped the hat over and blew dust off its brim. The dust formed golden shapes in the room, creating a tall man standing next to another that Steve recognized as Loki. Dust-Bucky walked into the picture and looked down into the hat, then Loki tossed the hat to the ground with a spin.

"Let's try that," Strange said, mimicking the motion of the hat toss. The hat began to grow as it spun faster and faster, but as the portal grew larger, Wakandan guards burst into the room.

Without hesitation, Steve launched into the hat, grabbing the brim on his way down. Maybe...

The hat snapped shut and Steve began to fall with the hat in his hand. He grinned as he landed in a room, admiring the hat. "Bucky, I promised you," he said aloud. "Til the end of the line."


End file.
